DNF YA Review: Those Girls

Those Girls by Lauren Saft, June 9, 2015. 336 pages. Published by Poppy. Source: Publisher.

Some girls will always have your back, and some girls can't help but stab you in it.
Junior year, the suburbs of Philadelphia. Alex, Mollie and Veronica are those girls: they're the best of friends and the party girls of the school. But how well does everybody know them--and really, how well do they know one another? Alex is secretly in love with the boy next door and has joined a band--without telling anyone. Mollie suffers from a popular (and possibly sociopathic) boyfriend, as well as a serious mean streak. And Veronica just wants to be loved--literally, figuratively, physically....she's not particular. Will this be the year that bonds them forever....or tears them apart for good? 

Well, it seems to be the year of DNF's for me and contemporary books. I really wanted to like this one as it sounded interesting. Yet, I could barely make it through ten pages before I was ready to throw the book away in anger/frustration. You name the negative feeling and that was me after barely delving into this one.

While I was going to try and give Those Girls at least 50 pages worth of my time, I quickly found myself unable to deal with the characters and the way they acted. Let alone how it almost felt like the book was glorying in the mistakes that they were making and the rough road they were running 90mph down. There are really no words to describe by disappointment in this book and the way it was heading.

Part of my problem with Those Girls, other than the characters and general plot line, was that it was, well, it just felt too forced. Almost like it was trying too hard to be sensational and cause a stir. For me, the walking away point hit when the characters so casually talked about abortion and just their general views. I'm sorry, but when you oh-so casually throw in drugs, swearing, sex and make jokes about abortion in the first ten pages, then the odds are that I'll be giving your book a big "No Thank You." I think what made me the most upset when it came to this book was that the author had the opportunity to use their voice for good on so many big things. And yet, yet they chose to write something that was more like reading the cover of a gossip magazine while standing in line at the store. Very disappointed!!

Sure, it could have improved but I did not have the time nor inclination to see if that would happen. Sometimes, you just know early on that a book is not going to work for you. Even though I always feel somewhat bad walking away from a book so early on, my time is important to me and not something I'm going to waste when I'm not feeling a certain read.

In order to prevent myself from going on a rant filled tirade, I shall be ending my review here and "washing" my hands of Those Girls. I'm pretty sure, barring a miracle, that this is not a good year for contemporaries and me. While I do appreciate the opportunity that arose and the chance to try a new author, this book was by no means something I could read.

Final Verdict: Those Girls- No, I do not recommend it. Not one bit!! This book handled important things in such a flippant manner that one would be better off giving it a wide berth.

this book was received in consideration fro review. All thoughts are my own